Britain's FTSE enjoys best day of 2017 as oils and banks rally

A worker shelters from the rain under a Union Flag umbrella as he passes the London Stock Exchange in London, Britain, October 1, 2008.Toby Melville/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top share index climbed to a one-week high on Friday and recorded its best one-day rise so far this year, with a rally in energy and banking stocks eclipsing weaker miners.

Energy shares were supported by a rise in oil prices amid speculation about possible new sanctions on Iran after U.S. President Donald Trump said "nothing is off the table" in response to Tehran's test launch of a missile.

However, investors stayed cautious as experts said a reversal of U.S. transparency requirements for the industry could give American oil firms an edge over European rivals, which face some of the toughest rules in the world.

Financials were in demand. UK banks .FTNMX8350 rose 1.6 percent, with analysts citing renewed positivity around the sector following last year's broader "reflation trade", which picked pace after the election of U.S. president Donald Trump.

"Generally investor sentiment around the banks, especially with Donald Trump coming in, is starting to improve," Jonathan Roy, investment manager at Charles Hanover Investments, said, adding the fact UK bank stocks had eased over the course of the week had brought them down to more attractive levels.

Financials also got support as Trump prepared to scale back the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law, which was enacted in the wake of the 2007-09 financial crisis.

"Since Dodd Frank was introduced, banks have devoted a lot more capital towards compliance and have had to decrease leverage, both of which are a direct hit to profitability," Jasper Lawler, senior analyst at London Capital Group, said.

"If Dodd Frank is watered down, that’s a direct boost to the bottom line for banks. Barclays and RBS are top of the FTSE."

The index, dominated by internationally-exposed firms, was also helped by a weaker sterling, which tumbled on Thursday after the Bank of England appeared to be in no rush to tighten monetary policy. Sterling fell further on Friday.

The broader stock market extended gains after better-than-expected U.S. jobs data masked underlying weakness in wage growth that may keep the Fed from raising rates next week.